SOLANA BEACH — A local high school junior, Kathryn Bussey, was selected to participate in the Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research (SIMR) program at Stanford University Medical School. Bussey attends Santa Fe Christian School.During the eight week program, Bussey researched colorectal cancer under the direction of Dr. Hanlee Ji, studying 31 genes believed to be the hallmarks of colorectal cancer. Bussey’s goal was to find the correlation between these genes and the genesis of colorectal cancer in an effort to specialize its treatment, giving patients additional treatment options.
As a result of her work, Bussey received the Doris Duke Award, a $1,500 grant for her demonstration of scientific promise. Of her summer research experience, Bussey said, “It was fascinating working a laboratory environment among experts in oncology. I learned so much from my experiences through SIMR and look forward to returning to Dr. Ji’s lab as a research associate next summer.”
